Take a boat through the Panama canal with this time-lapse video of the locks in action.

From the program "TR, the Story of Theodore Roosevelt," an animation of the locks system of the Panama Canal demonstrates how a ship would travel across the Panamanian Isthmus. This "lake and lock" canal was favored by Roosevelt, who Chief Engineer George Goethals called "the real builder of the Panama Canal."

During the Great Depression, Americans built the Hoover Dam, overcoming technical challenges to erect one of the greatest engineering works in history.

In the spring of 1952, work was finally underway on the Columbia Basin Project, a huge system of canals, tunnels, and aqueducts that would flow out of the Grand Coulee reservoir. The irrigation system carried water from Grand Coulee Dam to 66,000 acres of farmland. By 2012, the acreage increased more than ten fold to 671,000.

The biggest challenge in building Grand Coulee Dam was diverting the flow of the Columbia. To make this happen, the workers had to build cofferdams, temporary structures that keep the river at bay, allowing workers to dig out the mud and expose the granite bedrock on which the dam would rest. The west side cofferdam was completed on March 23, 1935. Soon after, the water level rose 32 feet.

Eight years after beginning construction, the Grand Coulee Dam was dedicated in front of a crowd of 8,000 on March 22, 1941. The dam's success created an insatiable demand for electricity, and the dam, along with others that were erected on the Columbia in the years following, served as the fuel for the growth of the metropolitan areas of the American West.

On December 6, 1935, the first bucket of concrete was poured onto the dam site. To prevent the possibility of cracking, concrete was poured into hundreds of 50 foot square blocks every 72 hours. After each pour, workers would scrub the concrete with wide brushes to remove scum. Millions of cubic yards were poured, and in February 1938, the foundation was completed 14 months ahead of schedule.

Thousands of men began arriving at the Grand Coulee Dam construction site in June 1933, enticed by the promise of jobs. Located hundreds of miles from the nearest big city, there was no easy way to get to the construction site. The dam would have to span beyond the width of the river -- almost a mile across -- and would need to rise 500 feet in the air to stop up the river to build the reservoir.

Of the many public works projects of the New Deal, Grand Coulee Dam loomed largest in America's imagination during the darkest days of the Depression. It promised to fulfill President Franklin Roosevelt's vision for a "planned promised land" where hard-working farm families would finally be free from the drought and dislocation caused by the elements.

More than a mile long, the Grand Coulee Dam is the largest concrete structure in the U.S. In the fall of 2011, dam operators agreed to open the spillway just for American Experience. "It was very exciting that they agreed to spill for us for a short period specifically for the film," said Associate Producer Lauren DeFilippo. "We ran to the top and bottom [of the dam] in about 30 minutes."

On August 15, 1914, the Panama Canal opened connecting the world's two largest oceans and signaling America's emergence as a global superpower. The story of the canal features a delightful cast of colorful characters ranging from an indomitable President to visionary engineers to tens of thousands of workers from around the world, rigidly segregated by race.

Of the many public works projects of the New Deal, Grand Coulee Dam loomed largest in America's imagination during the darkest days of the Depression. It promised to fulfill President Franklin Roosevelt's vision for a "planned promised land" where hard-working farm families would finally be free from the drought and dislocation caused by the elements.

Chart the rapid rise and precipitous decline of the American whaling industry, which powered the start of the industrial revolution and laid the groundwork for a global economy in the 18th and 19th centuries. 3/20/2012

An intimate portrait of contemporary Amish faith and life, this film examines how such a closed and communal culture has thrived within one of the most open, individualistic societies on earth. What does the future hold for a community whose existence is so rooted in the past? And what does our fascination with the Amish say about deep American values?

This video from the 1940s shows the Amish Huyard family harvesting wheat and tobacco using traditional methods. The film was taken by friend of the family Charles Noss, a photographer who worked at the nearby Hershey chocolate factory in Pennsylvania. Shortly after this was taken, most Amish groups were forbidden from posing for photographs and videos.

What does the future hold for a community whose existence is so rooted in the past? And what does our fascination with the Amish say about deep American values?

A preview of "The Amish," an intimate portrait of contemporary Amish faith and life. The film examines how such a closed and communal culture has thrived within one of the most open, individualistic societies on earth. What does the future hold for a community whose existence is so rooted in the past? And what does our fascination with the Amish say about deep American values?

This 1940s footage from Lancaster County shows Pennsylvania Dutch candy makers rolling and molding hard candy. Not all Pennsylvania Dutch are Amish, and the flowery and colorful clothing of these candy makers confirm their non-Amish status.

This 1940s bonus video shows a Pennsylvania Dutch family in Lancaster County working in a field with no modern machinery. Not all Pennsylvania Dutch are Amish, and this family does not seem to be Amish due to their head coverings and clothing.

When Bosnian Serb soldiers murdered thousands in July 1995, Clinton initiated a massive NATO military response. "He didn't blink," National Security Coordinator Richard Clarke said. "We knew that day that we had a commander-in-chief who was rational and comfortable with the use of force."